For Makeup Monday, I’ll answer a question a few of my friends have posed: What Is Matte Lipstick? It seems to be all the rage right now.
Remember back in the days when we took photographs to the store to get them developed? Remember how the photo attendant would ask if we wanted those pictures printed “matte or glossy?” Yeah, I’m betting that since most lipstick is shiny, matte is flat. (Hey, that rhymes! Matte is flat!)
But lipstick gets its glean from hydrating elements. Wouldn’t a flat lipstick also be dehydrating?
For answers, I turned to a few websites. Here’s what I learned:
- ** It lasts all day — just like those “colorstay” lipsticks that have been the rage for awhile.
- ** It lacks any shine, just as I had guessed.
- ** As I guessed, it lacks ’emollients’ — the stuff that hydrates. Therefore, it can chap your lips and it’s not commonly used by people who live in dry climates (avoid it, readers in Arizona!) and women with naturally dry lips.
- ** Matte lipsticks tends to come in richer colors and tones — which makes sense if you think about it.
- ** “Creme” lipstick is the middle ground: shinier than matte (and made with more wax), but not as shiny as a traditional glossy lipstick.
My take? I LIKE the gloss and shine of a lipstick. In fact, I like lip gloss — which, by definition, is glossy. So I see no reason to avoid a lipstick shine — especially if it helps hydrate!
Then again, I’ve never actually tried a matte lipstick. So time will tell ….
Photo courtesy cerromijares.
